Chapter 8 Ex-girlfriend

• Ben went to Calvin's place easily, as he was familiar with the route by memory. When he arrived, he did not even knock; he merely took out a key and opened the door himself. After all, he once stayed here, so Calvin gave him a spare key. Even though he moved away after some time, the key was still with him, simply because he still came over occasionally for free meals. Hence, it was more convenient for him to keep the key with him. However, because of this, Calvin was constantly being reprimanded by his girlfriend, Jamie Novak.
• When Ben entered, the couple was busy with kitchen chores. Jamie was cooking by the stove, while Calvin was her studious assistant. Jamie called the shots in this household, and Calvin would carry out her orders as if it were his utmost priority.
• "Sure enough, it's not a prank. You guys are making steaks." As soon as Ben entered, he sniffed and walked to the kitchen.
• "You must have been a dog in your previous life," Jamie joked as she glanced at Ben.
• "It must be nice to be a dog. All you have to do is to wag your tail. You don't have to work, but people will feed you anyway. I wonder why I'm so unlucky to be a human," Ben said wistfully, leaning against the doorway to the kitchen as he lit a cigarette.
• "Well, you should gather good deeds in this life so you can be a dog in your next life then. There's nothing you can do now," Calvin said with a smile.
• "Not entirely true. He's single now, so he's as good as a dog," Jamie interjected as she placed the food into the dishes.
• "Hey, you are insulting me now. So what if I'm single? I don't affect your relationship, do I?"
• "Ooh, is someone embarrassed about being single? Ask yourself – how many girls have I introduced to you until now? But look at your reaction! You didn't date any of them. The last girl I introduced you to, Angelina, is pretty, and she even graduated from university. Even though she just started working at my company, she is kind and comes from a good family. What a perfect match it would have been! I asked you to buy her a coffee, yet you told her you are gay, scaring her off. After that, she complained to me about you for several days. Are you out of your mind? Or are you really into guys?" With the mention of the topic, Jamie's temper flared up immediately. She placed the spatula down and gave Ben a piece of her mind with her hands on her waist.
• "Ask your darling Cal if I'm straight or gay. He knows best," Ben replied while looking at Calvin, who had been watching their squabble.
• "Wha-? How is this related to me? How would I know if you like men or women?"
• "Of course – you shared the same room with me for four years in university. Your girlfriend will know if she checks whether your butt is still intact." With that, Ben chuckled.
• "Intact, my ass! I'm going to destroy your butt! You only have your right hand as your life companion."
• Even though they had already graduated from university, this had always been how they spoke.
• After the jokes, they started the meal with a beer bottle each in front of Ben and Calvin. They didn't enjoy spirits or hard liquor, but the beer was essential. Back in their university days, the empty beer bottles would fill their entire balcony. One could not even guess how many bottles were there by just eyeballing it. However, in their third year, Jamie got pregnant by accident, but they did not have enough money for an abortion. Hence, they sold all the beer bottles to gather enough money for the surgery. This had become a joke between them, so the story's credibility still had room for doubt.
• When they were about to finish their meal, Jamie finally said after some hesitation, "Benny, Mia is coming back on Friday afternoon."
• Ben suddenly froze and became silent upon hearing that.
• "She asked us to dinner at Glence International Hotel on Friday evening," Jamie continued.
• Ben remained silent after hearing that, and he merely kept on drinking. After a long time, he said, "Oh yeah? That's good news, then. You're getting a free meal after all. Both of you should go and enjoy it. After all, she's using all the money she brought back from the capitalist country to splurge on us poor people in a socialist community. You should appreciate her efforts."
• With that, he continued the meal calmly.
• "Aren't you going?" she asked.
• "Of course not. I come from a socialist background. I can't stand the stench of money around her capitalistic ideals."
• "You idiot, even if she was at fault back then, it's been so many years. It's time to let it go. Putting aside the fact that you guys were once a couple, at the very least, you are university mates. She's been in the States for such a long time. Now that she's finally back, you should join us for dinner. Even if things didn't work out between you two as a couple, at the very least, you could still be friends. Don't become enemies in the end. She was also quite regretful about what she did back then. Come on, just let bygones be bygones," Jamie advised.
• "So, should I welcome her cordially at the airport? Before she left, why didn't she buy me a meal instead? On top of that, I didn't even receive the invite for dinner. After all, she's accustomed to the culture there, and I'm sure she's not interested in the likes of me. Stop teasing me and go to dinner with her. If she asks about me, tell her that I'm dead. Otherwise, don't even bring me up." With that, he placed his cutlery down and stood up. "Alright, I'm full now, and I'm going back."
• "Benny, she called and told me she came back this time to reconcile with you." Seeing that he was about to leave soon, Jamie quickly stood up and told him this news.
• After hearing that, he stopped right in the living room.
• "Over the years, you never allowed me to tell you about her. We can't even mention her name in front of you, but we are in frequent contact, and every time we call, she always asks about you and if you are doing well. She cares about you, and she has never once forgotten you. She still loves you all this while. She could have stayed in the headquarters in the United States and applied for citizenship there, but she chose to come back to United Kingdom for you, giving up better opportunities there to be together with you. She told me that she had returned to start a life with you. She knows that her decision back then hurt you a lot, and she will make it up to you."
• "So, you're saying that I should thank her and be grateful to her for such generosity?" Ben sniggered and turned around.